Accentus Music are pleased to announce to today the release date for the DVD and Blu-Ray of Mahler’s 4th Symphony in the United States of America.

The production label continues its Mahler Cycle, following the success of Mahler Symphonies No. 2 and 8 in 2011. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, with soprano Christina Landshamer, performed the 4^th Symphony under the direction of Riccardo Chailly last year.

The DVD and Blu-Ray discs feature special bonus material including Riccardo Chailly discussing his interpretation of Mahler’s 4^th Symphony. Both versions include two tracks featuring the forgotten technology of the “Welte Mignon” piano device, which allowed piano music to be recorded onto a built-in paper roll in the instrument and for that same recording to be played subsequently, without a pianist. In 1905, Gustav Mahler recorded himself performing the finale of his 4^th Symphony on a Welte Mignon piano. This recording forms part of the DVD / Blu-ray bonus material.

Accentus Music will be continuing its distinct collaboration with world-renowned Leipzig artist Neo Rauch, who created the evocative artwork for the covers of Mahler’s Symphonies No. 2 and 8. Rauch has painted another one-off piece inspired by his experience of Riccardo Chailly and the Gewandhaus Orchestra rehearsing and performing Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. The painting, entitled “Hohe Zeit” (“Solemn Time”), forms the DVD and Blu-ray cover.

The DVD and Blu-Ray is now available in the United States, United Kingdom and Germany, and can be purchased from most major stores. It will be released in France on 7th May.

For more information on Accentus Music and their productions, visit their Facebook, Twitter and read regular blogs on the WildKat PR website.

(Written on April 30, 2013 )

We are thrilled to announce that Accentus Music has been honoured with the Silver Hugo for ‘Best Documentary, Arts/Humanities’ at the Chicago International Film Festival Television Awards for John Cage – Journeys in Sound. 

The documentary, which combines rare archival footage with concert excerpts and a series of interviews with former associates of Cage, has already been awarded three awards in the past four months: the ‘Best Documentary’ award at the Golden Prague Festival, ‘Best Educational Program’ at the FIFA in Montréal, along with an International Classical Music Award in the ‘DVD Documentaries’ category.

Accentus Music’s upcoming release of Bruckner’s 5th Symphony is eagerly awaited, following the success of the first instalment of the symphonic cycle series. Performed by one of the oldest orchestras in the world, under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, The Mature Symphonies was performed in just under a week: an astonishing accomplishment.

Watch the trailer for John Cage – Journeys in Sound below, for an insight into the multi-award winning DVD. Also, keep up to date with Accentus Music news through Facebook, Twitter and regular blogs on the WildKat PR website.

(Written on April 24, 2013 )

The WildKats have been especially busy this January with a number of exciting events to both organise and attend, accompanied by numerous previews, reviews and interviews from national newspapers to specialist classical music press. Let’s have a look at some of the stand-out events…

On 10th January, violinist Daniel Hope performed alongside composer and pianist, Ludovico Einaudi, in Stockholm’s first ever Yellow Lounge. Established in Berlin seven years ago, the Yellow Lounge promotes ‘classical clubbing’, where international classical musicians perform with top DJs in unexpected spaces. The event was streamed live on the Deutsche Grammophon website. More and more events are being streamed live online, making concerts and recitals accessible both physically and economically, and reaching out to new audiences. Cellist Guy Johnston performed Walton’s Cello Concerto with the BBC Philharmonic on 14th, which was streamed live on BBC Radio 3.

Several of our clients had opening nights in January, including Silent Opera’s L’Orfeo. The first performance received huge amounts of press and publicity, specifically a BBC News report answering ‘What is Silent Opera?’. Silent Opera is still ongoing and tickets can still be purchased here – don’t miss out! The Silent Opera team appeared on Channel 4′s Sunday Brunch this weekend, watch it online here. Meanwhile in Milan, Daniel Harding had his opening night for La Scala’s Falstaff: a fantastic production of Verdi’s famous opera, staged in the same opera house it received its first ever performance. The esteemed conductor also performed with the Bayerischer Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra in Munich, Baritone Christian Gerhaher, receiving a great review from Süddeutsche Zeitung. Andrew Staples also performed in Munich with Daniel, receiving outstanding reviews for his performance. Another highlight of January for WildKat was the premiere of Raymond Yiu’s The London Citizen Exceedingly Injured at the Barbican, performed by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Raymond also wrote a guest blog for Gramophone last month, discussing challenging perceptions of British classical music.

January was a highly successful time for AyseDeniz Gokcin who was applauded worldwide for her Lisztified EP. The young Turkish pianist was featured in an article by Prog Rock Magazine Online, which was shared hundreds of times through Facebook and Twitter. The article has continued to spread, through major music websites and social media in Hungary, Spain, Finland, Brazil, Greece, the Netherlands, Turkey and many more. Classic FM then published a news story on her success, bringing the article back around in a full circle. Another triumph we celebrated was another award for production company Accentus Music, who have been awarded a second International Classical Music award for John Cage – Journeys in Sound.

In anticipation of his upcoming CD release of Franck & Strauss Violin Sonatas, Augustin Dumay was featured in BBC Music Magazine discussing the recording of the album. Another event for the violinist was the Gala Concert at The Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, where Augustin mentors the young string players. Young musicians of the Music Chapel performed works by Bloch, Liszt and Schubert, alongside the National Orchestra of Belgium, the Octopus Symphonic Choir and British conductor Christopher Warren-Green.

The WildKats had a number of great recitals to attend in January; such as Kimiko Ishizaka’s flawless performance of Bach’s The Well-Tempered Clavier, an intimate performance of works by Tom Smail at Susanne Kapoor’s home, along with a unique event from Samson Marzbani where he performed improvised piano pieces, before the audience received a preview premiere of his new work: Un Jour Infini.

Finally, the busiest of all has been our Founder and Managing Director, Kat Alder, who has been travelling across the world visiting our international clients performing all over the world; from Berlin to Austria, Munich to New York, and a few visits back to London.

Although January was so busy, February has a lot of exciting projects in store. Keep up to date with WildKat news through our Facebook, Twitter and daily posts from our blog.

(Written on February 4, 2013 )

Beginning this year, Accentus Music will be releasing Anton Bruckner’s The Mature Symphonies starting with one of his most popular works, Symphony No. 4. Accentus have released a trailer in anticipation of the release, providing fans with a sneak peek of the production.  The major cycle, performed by the Staatskapelle Berlin under the baton of Daniel Barenboim, was recorded in the Philharmonie Berlin in just one week: an epic accomplishment.

To find out more about The Mature Symphonies DVD collection and other Accentus Music releases, visit their website here.

(Written on January 31, 2013 )

Today, the conductor, pianist and Music Director of the Staatsoper Berlin, Daniel Barenboim, will celebrate his 70th birthday. Accentus Music, in association with ZDF and Arte, will honour the esteemed musician with a two-part documentary and a live broadcast on Arte of his “birthday concert” with the Staatskapelle Berlin. In addition, Accentus Music is pleased to announce the DVD release of Bruckner’s Symphonies Nos. 4-9 performed by Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin.

This evening, the Staatskapelle Berlin and Daniel Barenboim will give a concert in aid of a music kindergarten in Berlin, which will also mark the conductor’s birthday. Under the direction of Daniel Barenboim’s long-time colleague, Zubin Mehta, a new piece by Elliott Carter: “Dialogues II” will be performed. The work for piano and orchestra is dedicated to Daniel Barenboim, who will perform the piano part, as well as Beethoven’s 3^rd Piano Concerto and Tchaikovsky’s 1^st Piano Concerto. Accentus Music will record the concert in co-production with ZDF and Unitel at the Berlin Philharmonie, which will be broadcast live from 20:15CET on Arte.

The two-part documentary; “Crossing Borders: Daniel Barenboim” by Paul Smaczny accompanies the artist in a search of the social significance of music and his tireless efforts for intercultural dialogue. The first part shows Barenboim working with the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and follows him at sensational premiere concerts in Cairo and Gaza City. Part two highlights Barenboim’s efforts to overcome the Wagner taboo in Israel. Arte will broadcast the co-production of Accentus Music and ZDF tonight at 22:00 CET, following the special birthday concert broadcast.

Completing Accentus Music’s monumental celebration will be the release of a major symphonic series: Anton Bruckner’s “Mature Symphonies”. In 2010 Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin performed Bruckner’s Symphonies Nos. 4 to 9 in just eight days. Accentus Music and Unitel Classica recorded the six highly acclaimed concerts at the Berlin Philharmonie. In January 2013, Accentus Music will start with the release of Bruckner’s Symphony No 4.

Paul Smaczny, producer, director and founder of Accentus Music, has collaborated for over 20 years with Daniel Barenboim. In numerous concert recordings and publications, Smaczny documents the musical work of the Buenos Aires-born conductor and pianist. For his film, “Knowledge is the Beginning – Daniel Barenboim and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra”, Smaczny won the 2006 International Emmy® Award for Arts Programming.

Broadcast date: Thursday, 15th November 2012, Arte

20.15: Daniel Barenboim Birthday Concert – Live from the Berlin Philharmonic

(A production of Accentus Music in coproduction with ZDF and Unitel, in collaboration with Arte.)

22.00: Crossing Borders: Daniel Barenboim (1/2): Music and Politics

23.00: Crossing Borders: Daniel Barenboim (2/2): Musical Approaches

N.B. Above times are CET.

(A production of Accentus Music in coproduction with ZDF, in collaboration with Arte)

For more information please visit the Arte website here, or the Accentus Music website here.

(Written on November 15, 2012 )

Die Thomaner Entartete Musik article

Published on Monday 3^rd September, Gavin Plumley’s article on his online music journal, Entartete Musik, provides a great insight in to Accentus Music’s new DVD release, Die Thomaner.

‘Die Thomaner: A Year in the Life of the St. Thomas Boy Choir, Leipzig’ is a documentary that follows a year in the life of boys in the St.Thomas Choir, Leipzig; one of the most prestigious boys’ choirs in the world, which celebrated its 800^th anniversary this year. Plumley described the choir as ‘the bedrock of all musical life in the city’ and agrees that ‘as this film testifies’, the legacy of J.S.Bach’s musical reign over Leipzig lives on.

The article comments on how the DVD captures the boys’ emotional attachment to the choir and its ability to reflect the impact it has on the boys’ lives, when “Tears flow from the eyes” of one of the choir’s established leaders leaving the choir. Moreover, it encapsulates the ‘inimitable chemistry for Bach’s choir’, demonstrating how the boys, ‘like Bach himself…weave the extraordinary from the everyday… The results speak for themselves’.

The latest documentary in a line of past successes for Accentus Music, ‘Die Thomaner’ follows Accentus Music’s DVD release of Claudio Abbado with the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA performing Mahler’s ninth symphony, which won the 2012 BBC Music Magazine ‘Best DVD’ Award.

Read the full article here: http://entartetemusik.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/spinning-gold-from-bachs-legacy.html

(Written on September 10, 2012 )

One hundred years ago today John Cage was born: the American composer whose centenary is being celebrated this year with a wealth of concerts, festivals and events around the world.

John Cage’s iconoclastic overthrow of the expectations within classical music is demonstrated by a lifetime of compositions that question the meaning of ‘music’. Thanks to Cage, the twentieth century saw an explosion of innovative performances including amplified cactuses, crumpled paper and pianos filled with nuts and bolts. His provocative and inspiring works hold an incredible potential for discussion and imagination- something explored in the documentary ‘John Cage: Journeys in Sound’ that is to be released by Accentus Music later in September.

The documentary pays tribute to the legendary composer, presenting rare and enlightening archival footage, concert excerpts and interviews with close friends such as Christian Wolff and Don Gillespie.

Shooting from many special locations prominent in his life including his former home of Stony Point, New York as well as Leipzig, the unique footage shows unique episodes, such as pianist Steffen Schleiermacher buying screws to prepare a piano for one of Cage’s compositions and looks behind the scenes at Cage’s publishers.

Accentus Music are at the top of the classical music DVD industry, having not only won an International Classical Music Award, but also 2012 BBC Music Magazine award for ‘Best DVD’.

For more information on the production please click here.

(Written on September 5, 2012 )

Accentus Music is delighted to announce that its production of Claudio Abbado and the LUCERNE FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA performing Mahler’s Symphony No. 9 has won the 2012 BBC Music Magazine Award in the ‘Best DVD Performance’ category. The performance was recorded live at the LUCERNE FESTIVAL in August 2010.

This year was the first time that the Best DVD Performance category was decided by the public vote, reflecting the increased popularity of the classical music DVD market. The other nominees in the category were a Glyndebourne production of Billy Budd and a production of Elektra, recorded live from the Salzburg Festival 2010. Accentus Music’s production is the first concert DVD to have achieved this accolade, it having previously been awarded to operatic DVDs.

Described by Oliver Condy for BBC Music Magazine as “performed exquisitely” and praised for capturing the “very, very special” atmosphere of the concert, this DVD has hithertofore received widespread critical praise. Not only has it recently been awarded an ICMA award, it was also praised by Andrew Clark in the Financial Times, who wrote that this “fabulously fluid performance with the Lucerne Festival Orchestra is an important release.”

For more information about Accentus Music and its catalogue, visit the Accentus Music website.

(Written on April 12, 2012 )

WildKatPR would like to wish everybody a very happy Easter! We’d like to celebrate by recommending upcoming dates for our clients including:

Johannes Pramsohler:

6th April: Osterspiele, Margarethenskirche, Sterzing

Die Passion auf vier Seiten

Click here for more information.

ACCENTUS Music:

6th April: St Thomas Church, Leipzig

St Matthew Passion – St Thomas Boys Choir

For more information please click here.

LA Phil Live: Symphony of a thousand

13th April: Electric Cinema, Portobello Road, London, 2pm.

Gustavo Dudamel, the LA Philharmonic and Simon Bolivar Symphony Orchestra – Mahler’s “Symphony of a thousand”

For more information please click here.

(Written on April 5, 2012 )

Leading up to their next major release, ACCENTUS Music has published a trailer available to view on YouTube. The production, Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra performing Bruckner’s 5^th Symphony, is the latest in ACCENTUS’ catalogue of successful releases.

Previous ACCENTUS productions featuring Claudio Abbado and the Lucerne Festival Orchestra have received widespread critical acclaim. Andrew Clarke in the Financial Times praised the ACCENTUS DVD of Abbado conducting Mahler’s 9^th Symphony, writing: “this DVD of last summer’s fabulously fluid performance is an important release.”

For more information on ACCENTUS Music please click here: http://www.accentus.com/

To view the trailer please click below:

(Written on April 2, 2012 )